The new survey of 550 U.S.-based mental health practitioners reveals insights on how burnout is driving a surging therapist shortage, further limiting access to mental health care

SimplePractice, an EngageSmart (NYSE: ESMT) solution and industry-leading platform simplifying the health and wellness experience for more than 178,000 solo and small group practitioners, today released the 2023 State of Therapist Well-Being Report. In honor of World Mental Health Day, SimplePractice surveyed 550 U.S.-based therapists—including counselors, social workers, and psychologists—to understand, quantify, and contextualize their burnout and its downstream effects on clients and patients.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230929995058/en/

Reasons contributing to therapists' burnout, based on the results of a 2023 SimplePractice survey of 550 therapists. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The report offers insights at a critically important time, as the demand for therapy and mental healthcare has skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, the number of Americans seeking mental health treatment is almost twice as high as it was two decades ago. The country is also experiencing a behavioral health workforce shortage, further compounding the effects of this increased demand.

“Our mission at SimplePractice is to improve access to quality care by equipping health and wellness practitioners with the tools they need to thrive,” said Jonathan Seltzer, President of SimplePractice. “Our latest report shines a light on critical areas of concern and areas of opportunity to support practitioners within this challenging environment. We’re hopeful that the findings within our 2023 Therapist Well-Being Report is a rallying call for policymakers, mental health institutes, and fellow technology providers to do more to alleviate the burdens facing mental health practitioners, and ultimately, improve access and quality of care for patients.”

Key findings from the report include:

52% of mental health practitioners reported experiencing burnout this year

The survey results reveal significant burnout among practitioners—as more than half have experienced burnout in the last year, with 29% reporting that they currently feel burned out. Almost half (49%) of those currently burned out say that their burnout has gotten worse since the first wave of COVID-19.

A major contributor to therapist burnout is administrative tasks

Survey respondents who are currently burned out shared the contributors to their burnout.

• Over half (55%) said administrative tasks have contributed to their burnout; those who accept insurance were two times more likely to agree that the administrative burdens in running a private practice contribute to burnout
• 54% noted compassion fatigue as a factor towards their burnout
• Nearly half (44%) noted low pay as a factor
• One-third (33%) said severity and complexity of client needs (aka “acuity of my clients”) increased
• One-quarter (25%) noted their caseload is too high
• More than half (60%) said work-life balance contributes to their burnout

Mental health practitioners who experienced burnout in the last year are making significant changes

Half (51%) of mental health practitioners who have experienced burnout note that it has made them more cynical, a common symptom of burnout that can make individuals feel less attached to work. Nearly three quarters (73%) of those therapists who have experienced burnout in the past year, said that they hesitate to take on severe/acute clients and nearly half (49%) noted that they had reduced their client caseload in the past year due to burnout.

Nearly a third (29%) of practitioners who experienced burnout in the past year reported that they have considered or are currently considering leaving the mental health field. With the U.S. already in the throes of a mental health crisis and a surging need for mental health support amidst a lack of resources, this finding from the SimplePractice survey indicates that the crisis has the potential to worsen.

Therapists need mental health support, too

Therapists’ burnout can have an impact on their patients, and over one-third (35%) of those currently burned out stated their burnout has affected the quality of care they can give. Almost one-third (30%) of practitioners who have experienced burnout in the past year reported they struggle to be fully present for all of their clients.

“SimplePractice’s report highlighted therapists’ need for support and resources to ensure therapists can do what they do best: continue to help those who need them the most,” said Smita Wadhawan, Chief Marketing Officer of SimplePractice. “In honor of World Mental Health Day, we’re launching a campaign centered around the data with helpful resources to combat therapist burnout.”

To learn more about the survey, view the full survey report. The World Mental Health Day campaign landing page with bespoke resources can be accessed here. To learn more about SimplePractice, visit the website.

About SimplePractice

SimplePractice, an EngageSmart healthcare solution, is an industry-leading platform simplifying the health and wellness experience for both the practitioner and patient. SimplePractice supports health and wellness providers in their journey from starting to growing a thriving practice.

More than 178,000 providers trust SimplePractice to build their business through industry leading software, ongoing education and powerful tools that connect them to clients seeking care. Clients can find and request an appointment directly with the right therapist and manage their care all in one place.

Recognized by Built In as one of the Best Midsize Companies to Work For in Los Angeles in 2022, SimplePractice is proud to pave the future of healthtech. To learn more, visit SimplePractice.com, or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

About EngageSmart

EngageSmart is a leading provider of vertically tailored customer engagement software and integrated payments solutions. At EngageSmart, our mission is to simplify customer and client engagement to allow our customers to focus resources on initiatives that improve their businesses and better serve their communities. EngageSmart offers single instance, multi-tenant, true Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) vertical solutions, including SimplePractice, InvoiceCloud and DonorDrive, that are designed to simplify our customers’ engagement with their clients by driving digital adoption and self-service. As of June 30, 2023, EngageSmart serves 109,700 in the SMB Solutions segment and 3,400 customers in the Enterprise Solutions segment across several core verticals: Health & Wellness, Government, Utilities, Financial Services, Healthcare and Giving. For more information, visit www.engagesmart.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements contained in this news release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements and are generally identified by words such as “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “future,” “could,” “should,” “plan,” “aim,” and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding anticipated financial performance and financial position, including our financial outlook for the first quarter and full year 2023 and thereafter, and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees but involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons, including, but not limited to, the following: our inability to sustain our rapid growth; failure to manage our infrastructure to support our future growth; our risk management efforts not being effective to prevent fraudulent activities; inability to attract new customers or convert trial customers into paying customers; inability to introduce new features or services successfully or to enhance our solutions; declines in customer renewals or failure to convince customers to broaden their use of solutions; inability to achieve or sustain profitability; failure to adapt and respond effectively to rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and regulations and changing business needs, requirements or preferences; real or perceived errors, failures or bugs in our solutions; intense competition; lack of success in establishing, growing or maintaining strategic partnerships; fluctuations in quarterly operating results; future acquisitions and investments diverting management’s attention and difficulties associated with integrating such acquired businesses; general economic conditions (including inflation and rising interest rates), both domestically and internationally, as well as economic conditions affecting industries in which our customers operate; the war in Ukraine; concentration of revenue in our InvoiceCloud and SimplePractice solutions; COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our employees, customers, partners, clients and other key stakeholders; legal and regulatory risks; and technology and intellectual property-related risks, among others.

Other important risk factors that could affect the outcome of the events set forth in these statements and that could affect the Company’s operating results and financial condition are discussed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as updated by our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such statements are based on the Company’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the Company. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document except as required by law.

Disclosure

We disclose information to the public concerning EngageSmart, EngageSmart’s products and services, and other items through a variety of disclosure channels in order to achieve broad, non-exclusionary distribution of information to the public. Some of the information distributed through these disclosure channels may be considered material information. Investors and others are encouraged to review the information we make public in the locations below.* This list may be updated from time to time.

*For information concerning EngageSmart and its products and services, please visit: www.engagesmart.com

*For information provided to the investment community, including news releases, events and presentations, and SEC filings, please visit: investors.engagesmart.com/overview/default.aspx

*For information provided to the media, including news releases, please visit: investors.engagesmart.com/news/default.aspx

*For additional information, please follow EngageSmart’s social media accounts: www.twitter.com/engagesmartinc, www.facebook.com/EngageSmartInc, and www.linkedin.com/company/engagesmart

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230929995058/en/